Read Deuteronomy 1-2 at Bible Gateway.
Several times in Numbers, the LORD told Moses that he was to go up to the mountain, look at the land which Israel was to inherit, then die. In fact, in Num 31:1-2, the LORD said to Moses that he would be gathered to his people after he had taken vengeance on the Midianites.
Vengeance was taken on the Midianites in Numbers. So what is happening in Deuteronomy? Deuteronomy is a series of final speeches that Moses gave to the children of Israel, right before he went up to the mountain. The purpose of the speeches is given in Deu 1:5:
On this side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this law (torah), saying … Deu 1:5
So the law we will be reading will not be new law, but an explanation of the law already given. Now my outline of these first chapters of Deuteronomy according to God’s paragraph divisions:
Deu 1:1-2:1 {s} The failure of the unbelieving generation to possess the land;
Deu 2:2-8a {s} YHVH has given Mount Seir as a possession to Esau (the paragraph break falls after “Ezion Geber.” “We turned” begins the new paragraph);
Deu 2:8b-16 {s} YHVH has given Moab as a possession to Lot;
Deu 2:17-30 {s} YHVH has given Ammon as a possession to Lot;
Deu 2:31-3:22 {s} YHVH gave the kingdoms of the Amorites to Israel as a possession.
Moses is encouraging the second generation, not to make the same mistake that the first generation made! The reason the first generation gave for not going in to possess the land, was that there were giants in the land (the Anakim). Moses is saying, Listen, there were giants who dwelt in Mount Seir before Esau, but because the LORD has given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession, Esau defeated the giants. There were giants who dwelt in Moab before the Moabites, but because the LORD has given Moab to the children of Lot, they defeated the giants. There were giants who dwelt in Ammon before the Ammonites, but because the LORD has given Ammon to the children of Lot, they defeated the giants.
The unspoken message is, the people who do not even have a covenant with YHVH as you do, defeated the giants who were in the land before them, because the LORD dispossessed the giants. How much more will you, who walk in covenant with the LORD your God, dispossess the giants before you?
For further study: Deu 1:39 contains a veiled prophecy of the gospel of grace. Can you find it? We have seen Scripture use repeated words and phrases to provide us with clues for thematic connections before, and this is one of these times. Where have we seen these words and phrases before?
Finding Messiah:
“Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” Deu 1:38
We have seen already that Joshua the son of Nun is a type of Messiah, the name “Joshua” in Hebrew being Yeshua! Yeshua shall cause Israel to inherit her promise!
Now here is something else interesting: Joshua is hardly ever mentioned, except as Joshua the son of Nun. Moses is not mentioned as Moses the son of Amram. Aaron is not mentioned as Aaron the son of Amram. So why, every time Joshua is mentioned, is he called Joshua the son of Nun? These things are not coincidences in Scripture!
Nun is a letter of the Hebrew alephbet, the equivalent to our “n”. In Hebrew, its pictograph is the seed. The pictograph of the seed, O, is where we get our numeral “zero” from. (Look up the history of the Arabic numerals and see if this is not so.) So in one way, the Scripture is saying, Joshua, the son of the Seed. Yeshua is the Promised Seed. In another way, Scripture is saying, Joshua the son of no one (zero). Yeshua is the only begotten son of God and is not the son of a man, but the Promised Seed of the woman!
For further reading:
Parashah Devarim (words), Deu 1:1-2:1
Parashah Vanephen (turned), Deu 2:2-30
Parashah Sichon (king sihon), Deu 2:31-3:22
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